8 Twitter mistakes you should avoid

We can all agree on the fact that Twitter is a great platform to promote your business.

It allows you to talk to your followers in real time, give them updates, help them out and extend your influence. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Well, like with most good things, there is a catch.

Twitter can break your brand just as easily as it can make it. So beware and avoid these 8 mistakes!

1. Using a username that’s hard to remember

This is one of the fundamental things to remember when setting up your Twitter account. Many people tend to get extra creative when creating their username, and while you will get full marks for creativity, you will also be left out of many conversations. If people can’t remember your name, they will most likely not be bothered looking it up.

2. Too many random retweets

Retweeting is great for engagement, and it can also increase your brand exposure. You can retweet pieces of content that you find interesting, acknowledge others and increase your followers. But make sure you don’t get carried away! Always stay relevant to your brand, don’t retweet random content or your followers will decrease as you watch. Occasionally retweeting a cute picture of a cat stuck in a vase is alright; but, unless you are in the cat or vase industry, don’t make a habit of it.

3. Tweets that are too long

According to research, shorter Tweets have a higher chance of being retweeted than longer ones. So keep it short and snappy. Don’t flood your followers timeline with long and boring Tweets, chances are no one will even bother reading them, let alone retweeting them. Most internet users have an attention span that is not too far from that of a goldfish, so say it quick and say it well!

4. Pushing your product

Let’s face it, if all people wanted to see was someone trying to convince them to buy a product, they would talk to a telemarketer, not check Twitter. Do not make the mistake of only promoting your products or services Tweet after Tweet after Tweet. This will quickly cost you followers and decrease your credibility exponentially. Always keep in mind that providing value for your audience is a big part of social media marketing.

5. Begging for followers

This is probably one of the most, well, how do we put this…un-coolest things you could do. Many Twitter users ask people to follow them over and over again, and while having followers is vital, this is certainly not the way to go about it. If you want to increase your tribe, post engaging content, create value, get involved in discussions. This will ensure that you will gather genuine followers who are truly interested in what you have to say.

6. Following everyone who follows you

This point goes hand in hand with the one mentioned above. Sure, it is certainly nice to follow someone who followed, but do so only if they are relevant to you. Don’t feel like you are being rude if you don’t follow someone who followed you. Stay relevant to your business, this way your timeline will only display valuable content for you and your followers.

7. Using too many hashtags

Rule of thumb: Limit the number of hashtags to three per Tweet. Using too many hashtags will not only confuse your followers as they won’t know what they key message you are trying to convey is, but it will also most likely annoy them. Focus on one concept per Tweet, and if you want to tweet more than one, consider breaking it into two Tweets.

8. Um…Ooops! Getting the wrong account

This last point will seem as a given. However, you would be surprised at the number of people who accidentally Tweet from the wrong account. If you are managing multiple accounts, check and re-recheck that it is the correct one before sending out a Tweet! Posting a personal Tweet to the company Twitter page happens more often than you think, and though an innocuous comment can be rectified easily, some Tweets can lead to a PR disaster. So be mindful, and save yourself a lot of trouble and embarrassment!

Created: February 13th, 2015